to: expand the functions of the Productivity Commission to include the undertaking of research on inequality and its effects on the Australian economy and community; require the commission to have regard in the exercise of its functions to the need to mitigate the negative effects of inequality; and provide for reporting requirements.

The bill: establishes the Regional Investment Corporation to administer farm business loans and financial assistance granted to states and territories in relation to water infrastructure projects, and any future programs prescribed by rules; provides for the corporation’s functions, operating mandate, ministerial directions, board membership and appointment of a chief executive officer and staff; and provides for miscellaneous matters, including the recovery of costs, delegations, power to make rules, and an independent review of the operation of the Act before 1 July 2024.

to impose additional obligations on the minister in making decisions on approvals and conditions; and

Northern Australian Infrastructure Facility Act 2016

to: require the Northern Australian Infrastructure Facility to assess whether an entity is a suitable person for the purposes of providing financial assistance for Northern Australia economic infrastructure; and provide that, in undertaking an assessment, the facility consults with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and the Australian Crime Commission. Also provides for a review of certain existing approvals under the

to: require a food safety management certificate from importers of certain foods where at-border testing alone is insufficient to provide assurance of food safety; enable food to be held at the border where there is uncertainty about the safety of a particular food and where the scientific approach to verify its safety is not established; provide additional powers to monitor and manage new and emerging risks; recognise a foreign country’s food safety regulatory system where it is equivalent to Australia’s food safety system; establish differentiated enforcement provisions to enable a graduated approach to non-compliance; require importers of food to keep records to enable traceability of food; and make technical amendments.

Part of a package of six bills to establish a new national regulatory scheme for industrial chemicals, the bill amends the

Industrial Chemicals (Notification and Assessment) Act 1989

to: amend the definition of a new synthetic polymer to align it with international approaches to regulation; amend the notification requirements for new chemicals; exempt polymers of low concern from notification requirements; remove certain annual reporting requirements; and make consequential amendments.

Part of a package of six bills to establish a new national regulatory scheme for industrial chemicals, the bill establishes a legislative framework for the Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme (AICIS) by: establishing the scheme and an Executive Director; defining an industrial chemical; requiring introducers of industrial chemicals to be registered; establishing a system of risk-based categorisation of industrial chemical introductions; providing a framework for the initiation of evaluations of industrial chemicals; establishing the Australian Inventory of Industrial Chemicals; specifying certain information and reporting obligations; enabling the protection of confidential business information; enabling AICIS to monitor compliance; implementing Australian obligations under certain international agreements; and establishing the power for the minister to make rules. Also bans animal testing for new chemical ingredients of cosmetics from 1 July 2018.

Part of a package of six bills to establish a new national regulatory scheme for industrial chemicals, the bill imposes an annual charge on the registration of introducers of industrial chemicals, to the extent that it is a duty of customs.

Part of a package of six bills to establish a new national regulatory scheme for industrial chemicals, the bill imposes an annual charge on the registration of introducers of industrial chemicals, to the extent that it is a duty of excise.